One of the many false teachings of the modern church is in the area of repentance and forgiveness. When a person or a nation sins, certain laws of God are set in motion to correct or punish those sins that will either cause us to repent, or perish. Sin is never ignored or simply overlooked. Ever.
Scripture tells us that the ‘wages of sin is death.’ God punishes us, called chastisement, for the purpose of not only punishing us for sin, but to cause us to self-examine ourselves so that we might determine why we are being punished and thereby repent of whatever sin it happens to be. After such repentance we are forgiven and/or restored. Sure, the rain falls on the just as well as the unjust, but a ‘just’ person will examine themselves with an honest inward looking and repent if found guilty.
In the Old Testament, throughout the history of Israel, they served the Lord through obedience to His word and were abundantly blessed because of that obedience. But time and time again, the Israelites, though blessed, turned from obedience to the Lord and He severely punished them. He punished them with sickness, poverty, plagues of all kinds, destruction, death of many, and finally, if they did not repent, he had other nations conquer them and take them captive. The key, the answer, to their problem was to recognize their sin, repent of it, and then return to obeying God. Once they would do these things God, in His love for Israel, would always forgive and restore them.
Even though His punishments were very harsh and long-lasting, it was only to drive them to repentance, and then forgiveness would follow. Israel would, over the course of time and generations, continue to be blessed, sin, be punished and repent, then be blessed again throughout the Old Testament.
What I want to point out in this writing is that repentance always preceded forgiveness. It can be likewise stated that there is no forgiveness without repentance.
The same spiritual laws of repentance and forgiveness are true in the New Testament. When John the Baptist came as a forerunner to the coming of the Lord, his message was the same as it always was before God’s coming to man to bless him in any way; “repent.” John declared in Matthew 3:2 “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Repentance is always a forerunner before the coming of the Lord. In years gone by, many preachers used to define the word ‘repent’ as meaning ‘to turn away from’ sin. To not only ‘stop’ doing whatever it was you were doing, but to ‘turn away from it’ altogether. But repentance also means to be ‘exceedingly sorry’ for the doing of what was wrong. Heartfelt sorrow. Not just a mental awareness or admission of wrong-doing, which would prompt an apology, but heartfelt sorrow. A sorrow that would result in ceasing from doing that wrong. Jesus told the story of a repentant man in Luke 18: 13-14;
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
That’s Godly sorrow. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 7:10;
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.”
Truly, one must be sorry in heart before repentance is real.
Did the New Testament change the ways of God concerning repentance proceeding forgiveness? Not at all! It is not possible, to simply decide
to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and then be accepted into
His fellowship to henceforth be a ‘Christian.’ Many modern day churches preach that all a person has to do is pledge themselves to the Lord, or simply
‘accept Christ as your personal saviour’ (of which concept is also a lie), and you will be ‘saved.’ They leave out a few scripturally necessary essentials, and one of them is repentance! Jesus told us that we must all repent, and without such repentance we would perish. Luke chapter 13:1-5;
There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
In Luke chapter 19:1-9, Jesus touched a sinners heart (Zacchaues) with salvation because he showed repentance of his ways in the form of restitution…
“And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a
sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord:
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”
In John chapter 8:10-11, Jesus forgave a woman of adultery, but also commanded her to “go, and sin no more.” Thus speaking of the repentant life she should live thereafter by not returning to that sin.
“When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
When Jesus gave His final commands to his apostles, he instructed them to teach repentance.
Luke 24:47 - And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
On the day of Pentecost, when onlookers were aware that the power and salvation of God was upon the followers of Jesus, they asked Peter what they should do. The first word out of Peter’s mouth was repent!
Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The words ‘repent, repented, repentance’ are found 66 times in the New Testament, and are a key part of the working of the operation of God
concerning forgiveness of sin, fellowship with Him, and salvation.
Peter again points to the necessity of repentance, and that to avoid ‘perishing’ we must repent.
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Among the many false doctrines that have ‘evolved’ in the church world today are those that have nothing to do with the idea of ‘repentance.’
If they preach, or teach, on the principles of repentance, then they would likewise have to preach or teach what people must be repentant of, thereby getting into the area of sin and what sin is. They don’t preach about ‘sin’ either! Many churches don’t preach bible salvation, but instead, something along the lines of “just come to God, trust in Him and be saved.” They do not teach about the scriptural doctrines of repentance, sin, baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, commitment, or obedience. These things just don’t ‘fit in’ with how the church has ‘evolved’ today. But the truths of God do not evolve. They stay the same,
and for this reason, most church-goers today will be damned instead of finding salvation. How can I say that? Easy! Because they do not obey Gods’ word concerning the requirements of salvation. And ‘one’ of those things is ‘except ye repent.’ God’s plan of salvation, not man’s, must be adhered to. Those that ‘seek’ God can still find Him… but they need to turn from the changing doctrines of the church world of today back to God’s word that is both fixed and eternal.
Applying God’s Ways in Our Own Lives
As Christians, we are to live by the word of God, not just the commands of God, but according to his precepts and His Ways. Our lives should reflect
the nature, and character of God in all His ways, as He reveals through our growing in the Spirit more of Himself to us. We, being born into God’s kingdom, have a new country, a kingdom where Christ reigns as king.
God’s word declares that we are ambassadors of the kingdom of God,
which means that we are to represent, by applying to our own lives, the principles that govern the kingdom of God. This is also true for God’s guidelines of the relationship of repentance and forgiveness. I’m sure this might outrage some readers, but in light of what was earlier written about biblical principles of ‘except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish,’ let me explain to you why I say ‘there should be no forgiveness (by Christians) of those who sin against us or against God, unless they repent.’ Please allow me to explain fully before you place a cross in the ground with kindling all around it with intentions of tying me to that cross and striking a match! I realize this goes completely against the teachings of today’s church and is certainly not what you are accustomed to reading. Already your mind might be thinking “but, but, but… what about ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’ and ‘forgive, and ye shall be forgiven!’ Do I wanting people to be damned through unforgiveness?! Of course not! Forgiveness is a major part of Christian doctrine and the doctrine of the first church. We must forgive! But forgiveness, like other parts of our faith, has guidelines to be followed as set forth by the scriptures themselves, and to forgive outside of those guidelines actually works against the very operation of God that was are supposed to be promoting.
The ‘removal’ of those guidelines by the modern church is what leads to and promotes the other false doctrines they teach. I am going to point out those guidelines. I will also point out, later in this text, that there is a vast difference between not forgiving and carrying a grudge.
First of all, it is well documented in scripture that God does not forgive ‘except we repent.’ That’s clear. It is a doctrine of both the Old and New Testaments and we are to live in this world by the guidelines of scripture that govern the kingdom of God. God is our example. We cannot follow God’s ways by not following!
Secondly, let’s look at what Jesus teaches us in Luke 17:3;
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass
against thee, rebuke him; and
if he repent, forgive him.
This statement aligns itself with other scripture, from the Old Testament
where repentance was required for restoration, to the New Testament wherein Jesus stated “except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.”
The very next verse restates the same principle, Luke 17:4 says;
And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day,
and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying,
I repent;
thou shalt forgive him.
Paul said in Ephesians 4:32;
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven you.”
…and Christ forgives us how? After repentance.
And John, in 1 John 1:9 says;
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Matthew chapter 18: 21-35 tells of a full length story very worth the reading
concerning forgiveness and repentance. There are things I need to point out in the text and I will put my comments in parenthesis;
. 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (Many churches that preach on forgiveness stop here; but continue). 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand
talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. (He asked for mercy) 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. (The same mercy this cruel person sought the Lord for, and received, he did not show to others that asked him likewise for mercy). 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst (asked, sought mercy or forgiveness) me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
It is only the concluding ending verse of this story that is preached by most churches, which they interpret as blanket forgiveness for all (which is contrary to scripture), but this is not what the story is about. The story is about our repentance and asking God for forgiveness, yet our not giving the same forgiveness to others who ask us for forgiveness.
Once again, forgiveness is based on repentance. We should, we must forgive all those who come to us for forgiveness after having wronged us, and of that there is no doubt! There are other verses of text that also relate to forgiveness, and that we must forgive, but they point to forgiveness itself as a subject while not giving the guidelines of forgiveness. The guidelines for forgiveness, according to scripture, are that we are to forgive everyone, if they repent. There is a verse of scripture in which Jesus said, “forgive, and ye shall be forgiven,” but this same Jesus later on gave us the guidelines of forgiveness which include ‘if he repents.’ This guideline of forgiveness based upon repentance coincides with the Old Testament and reaffirms it’s validity.
What about the time when Jesus was being crucified and he called out to His Heavenly Father said in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”? And in Acts 7:60 Stephen being stoned to death cried out; “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
Don’t these verses point out that people can be forgiven without repentance? No!, these two verses do not take away the multitude of verses that give the guidelines for forgiveness as being repentance, but I am pleased to explain them! In the cases of Jesus being crucified and Stephen being stoned, those that were involved in the killing of them were doing so believing they were carrying out judgment dictated by the law of God to whom they were committed. In other words, in their zeal for God, and their desire to please Him, they ignorantly did wrong. They were going to kill these heretics, for the glory of God. Their intent was not evil, but righteous. This is why Peter said, addressing the crowd of onlookers at the day of Pentecost; “And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too. But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets – that his Christ would suffer – he has fulfilled in this way.” (Acts 3:17). And Paul, too, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 2:8 that “None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Even the apostle Paul, had great zeal for God, and in the defense of Law (as it was understood at that time), beat, tortured, imprisoned and killed the early Christians received mercy, compassion and salvation from the Lord for the same reason. He told Timothy that it was because he did those things ‘in ignorance.’ 1 Timothy 1:12-13 says; “I am grateful to the one who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful in putting me into ministry, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.”
These are not sins of wickedness, that violate God’s word, as most all sins are, but these sins were done by those thinking they were in service of the Lord. That’s a huge difference. Jesus and Stephen asked God to forgive them, because they knew that in the hearts of those ‘carrying out the Law’ these people would honestly feel they had nothing evil ‘to repent of.’
If we sin, the wheels of consequence are set in motion at the time of offence and the punishment of those sins must occur in order to satisfy those consequences. Those wheels of consequence do not stop turning because we chose to ignore wrong-doing either in ourselves or our friends or family.
The spiritual laws of wrong-doing do not just somehow disappear or dissolve with the passing of time.
The first thing that happens once a sin is committed is separation from sensing the reality of God and a crippled prayer life.
Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Notice that you are not hidden from God, or that God is not aware of you, but from you He has hidden His face. In other words, you will not feel His presence in your life (no matter how much you ‘claim’ to). Scripture does not lie. If we sin, the laws of chastisement begin to go into effect which is punishment given for the purpose of teaching us to not do wrong and to repent. God might even continue to bless you, and shower good things upon you, but scripture says that God blesses his enemies (scripture says; “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance”). Everything that is done by God, either blessing you or chastising you after you sin, is to bring you back to repentance and fellowship with Him. And until you have repented of some current or previous sin, that close fellowship will not happen. In the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, God specifies the blessings of obedience, and the punishments of disobedience.
When we are obedient in the ways of God, then His ears are open to our prayers, and if we are not then ‘the heavens shall be of brass.’ Our prayers will bounce right back to us.
Personally, I’ve been in both spiritual places. There have been times when I know my prayers have ascended straight to heaven and before the throne, and there have been times when prayer seemed pointless because I knew they went nowhere. I could feel those returned prayers as if they hit a low
ceiling. The difference, aside from trial and testing, was how my life’s actions were measuring up to God’s standards for me.
Applying Repentance and Forgiveness in our Lives
A sin is a sin; a breaking of God’s laws. Whether that sin is directed at God, or against man, all sin is ultimately against God and MUST be repented of to be forgiven. If never repented of, therefore never forgiven, then the wheels of another law start turning… “the wages of sin is death,” and, “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” I went to a seminar of a Baptist church years ago, and part of their teaching about coming to the cross for forgiveness, was that if a person was truly repentant of their sins,
he should think back in his past, and after sincere prayer, ask God to show him by bringing to his mind, every person he had ever offended. As God would answer that prayer and bring to mind people in your past that he offended, he was directed by the seminar to go back to that person, either by phone or by letter and ask their forgiveness. This was a powerful teaching.
They even helped a repentant person by giving him suggestions on how they might go to someone in their past. Something like; “Hi, my name is Steve, and when we were in the sixth grade (even though you might be 50 years old now), I sinned against you by “………” and I just wanted to apologize and ask you to forgive me. I am sorry I did that. Would you forgive me?” This shows a repentant heart, and a desire to make straight the path for the coming of the Lord. This would include past friends, teachers, classmates, employers, enemies, family members, and anyone who the Lord would bring back to your memory that you could still contact. What humility! Whether they accepted your apology or not is not the point, and not your responsibility, that’s up to them. Sometimes a person might want to make straight the path of the Lord before they come to Him, and some have not the knowledge of God until they dedicate themselves to God and receive
Him first, but either way; a repentant heart, a heart of contrition, a heartfelt sorrow over having lived a life unacceptable to the Lord, is a vital necessity.
We come to the altar of the Lord, to present ourselves a living sacrifice to Him and we cannot come to that altar unwilling to give up hate, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness or any other thing displeasing or disobedient to the Lord’s Spirit. Jesus said, inMatthew chapter 5:23-24;
"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."
In other words, when you come to God in prayer, and you said or did something that was wrong against someone, go make it right first.
Clear your heart and your conscience.
Thy Kingdom Come,
Thy Will be Done,
on Earth,
as it is in Heaven
As ambassadors of the Kingdom of God, we are to show forth the principles and guidelines of the kingdom we represent. This includes the principle of forgiveness based on repentance. As parents and grandparents, we are to teach the ways of God to our children and our grandchildren, and to NOT do so is disobedience to God and to His word (in which case WE have sinned). We are to reflect the way God works with US to our children so that they come into the knowledge of God’s ways at an early age. Never, overlook sin, ever. Ever. Teach children to apologize early, even if they do not understand what it means, at least they will be more comfortable apologizing to someone when they get older. One of the worst failures a parent can have is to not teach their children to be sorry for wrong-doing and to apologize.
Another principle that parents should know is that sin must be punished! Because that’s what God does. That punishment must continue until the child apologizes, however long it takes. A disobedient or defiant spirit must be broken just as a wild horse must be broken. God chastises until we repent and return.
The idea of ‘time out’ is a modern day concept that is contrary to God’s word and is man’s wisdom, not God’s. Time out does not demand repentance or apology. It does not instruct. It does not teach.
Time out does not restore or make right what was wrong. God does not give ‘time out’, He gives ‘time away;’ away from His presence, away from Him, and if a person continues in disobedience then it’s time away from Him for eternity. Teach your children by showing them that punishment is not over,
until they repent, or apologize; that’s God’s way.
If we sin, God hides his face from us and we feel estranged from his presence and His fellowship… and that’s the way it must be. When we have very young children that do something wrong, we might say, “go to your room and do not come out until you’re ready to say you’re sorry!” We have removed them from our presence, and it would be quite alright if they felt somewhat ‘rejected’, for they should feel that way! That’s exactly how God wants us to feel if we sin because that’s exactly what will happen if WE sin without repentance. Closeness is broken. As they get older, they should know the principles of repentance based forgiveness, but if they continue to sin, of if they come into Godly principles later as teenagers, then other ways must be found of showing them that their sin breaks bonds. It disunifies.
It separates one from a level of closeness they could otherwise have. Fulfilling the guidelines of the kingdom of God, and His instructions for us,
we should never allow sin to go unpunished or ignored. Sin is something that must not be hidden, but should be treated like a festering sore it should be opened, and cleaned.
I am currently 61 years old and have met a lot of people; and during that time I have noticed that some people apologize and ask for forgiveness even when they’ve done nothing wrong, some people apologize readily once they determine they have done something wrong, some only apologize if it’s ‘worth their interests’ (some reward or personal benefit) which of course is not really an apology at all because it’s based on self interest and not from the heart, and some people absolutely refuse to apologize for anything! Some people want the sins of their children appropriately taken care of right away, and some people chose to ignore the sins of their children and not punish them at all. In fact some parents go completely contrary to scripture and not only ‘do not demand apology or repentance’ but actually defend the wrong-doing of their children! Some Christians live by the guidelines of ‘kingdom of God’ in their lives and in their homes, and some say they want the kingdom of God in their lives but refuse to live by His principles.
Again, one of the worst failures a parent can have is to not teach their children to be sorry for wrong-doing and to apologize. A child raised in this manner, unless God intervenes, will have social difficulties their entire lives, affecting every relationship they will ever have.
We must go back to the faith (the beliefs) of the first church as given in God’s word, in a sincere desire to please the One who has called us, and be discerning enough to reject the doctrines of modern churchianity that teach contrary to sound doctrine.
Some churches, as nice as it sounds on the surface, teach that Christians are to forgive… everything, everyone, at all times. They teach that this concept is ‘Christian Love.’ But that’s not love at all, it’s actually hate. Why is it hate? Churches teaching that we are to forgive all things, no matter what, don’t punish, don’t rebuke, don’t point out sin, don’t say or do anything but just forgive, just leads to children having no borders, no correction or punishment. It gives license to sin, and sees no consequences of sin. It doesn’t punish, call for sorrowfulness for having done wrong or repentance. It leads to hell, and that’s a doctrine of hatred, both for a human soul and God’s word. Christianity teaches us that if we ‘love’ we correct, we punish, we reprove and rebuke because those are the things that lead us to righteousness and a right relationship with the Lord. God, throughout His word establishes forgiveness based on repentance and we, as Christians, should follow His example on this earth, as ambassadors of His kingdom that show forthHis principles.
Does the ‘modern church’ that teaches forgiveness contrary to the priniciples of prior repentance consider itself more ‘loving’ than God? Are they more ‘forgiving’ than God? More compassionate? More knowledgeable? Let them explain to God on the Day of Judgment, that they read His Word over and over, that regardless of what His word said they thought they had a ‘better way.’ The doctrine of the modern church concerning ‘blanket’ forgiveness does away with (or will eventually evolve to) the need of repentance, the need of a saviour, the need of reading God’s word, the necessity of holiness, commitment, obedience, baptism, teaching on chastisement, the instruction of guarding oneself against Satan, fear of hell,or endurance. After all, according to them, this big loving forgiving God forgives everything no matter what. But the true God, the God of Israel, bases forgiveness on repentance and salvation on commitment and obedience. God has always operated that way, and still does, regardless of what direction the churches of man take.
Does this mean, that personally, we should ‘carry a grudge’ until someone repents or apologizes to us. No! We do not carry a grudge, or hate, or anger, or bitterness. In fact, we are to ‘do good’ to those that abuse us, and are commanded to ‘love’ our enemies. But this ‘love’ is not the affectionate kind of love but the love shown by kindness. Kind acts, even to our enemies. In bible language, any sinner is the ‘enemy of God’ and that includes US if we lapse back into sin. We are to be kind to those that sin against us. Do acts of kindness, pray for them and care about them. Show grace, patience and longsuffering, Yet we are to hold ourselves in some way estranged from the more intimate closeness and fellowship we share with those who, after we have loved them, love us back. This is God’s example to us and, as ambassadors of His kingdom who are supposed to be living representations of that kingdom, this is the example we should show forth to others.
Proverbs 8:17 - I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
John 14:23 - Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Forgive everyone, just as God does, that seek forgiveness and are truly repentant. But to forgive outside of God’s guidelines of forgiveness only teaches others that they ‘are acceptable’ no matter how they act or what they do, and that there are no consequences to their wrong-doing. This is man’s corruption of what love really is, it violates God’s word, it ultimately damns the sinner, and brings the chastisement of the Lord upon the Christian parent for their disobedience of not ‘raising up their children in the ways of the Lord.’If any of you who read this have found yourselves to be guilty of this same error, and have tried coming to the Lord without heartfelt repentance as shown by a changed life (or a sincere change in the direction of your life), then fix it now! The lie of this world is ‘accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal saviour’ as if Christ is the servant, who humbly comes to you in effort to be ‘accepted BY you; but the real truth is that He is the King, and YOU are the servant and that YOU are the one that must present yourselves ACCEPTABLE to HIM! If you are guilty of not teaching your children to understand the necessity of sorrow for wrong doing and apologizing, DO IT NOW!
I’ll tell you the truth; the modern church might change it’s doctrine to be ‘progressive’ or ‘give the people what they want to hear or will readily accept,’ but God’s truths will never change. On the Day of Judgment, you will stand before a Holy God, and He will measure your life by His Truths, not what the church says.
